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A basic rule is that trapezing Catapult
is easier than struggling upwind easing the main and hiking.
Trapezing adds
about one third to one half again to the power (not doubling it,
as with a dinghy) The margin gives a clear boost of power which can
still be handled easily once out on the wire.
Beginning trapezing,
the trickier parts are getting out and back but practice makes these routine. Initially, it is easy to put
off practicing, or to put off trapezing in a race---the conditions are
already a bit daunting with a lot going on, and it is tempting to
push on, flattening the sail and pushing up to windward. This can be
effective (and see final comments further below) but usually the trapezing boats will
have a steady advantage and will surge forward during puffs.
(Gareth, the master of Catapult trapezing (below) will be seen before
the start doing a few bursts on the wire, something most
helms put off until the race itself.)
Getting out
on the wire.
The trapeze is hooked on
and the the helmsman's weight
dropped back over the edge of the beam by 2-3 inches, before the wire takes up
the helm's weight.
(The
lower the ring is set, the easier it is to swing out, so the
wire is slack when sitting on the beam.)
Hanging on
the handle, the front foot pushes off from the top of the
centreboard, using it as a ladder to then get both feet on the beam,
about 2 feet apart.
A helmsman weighing
11 stones will trapeze by around 17 knots of wind, and 13 stones
by 20 knots (and average weight helms will trapeze
only when beating upwind.)
During lulls, bending
the legs brings weight inwards. (This is only about a 15%
reduction in power, so usually a frequent need to bend the legs to balance during
lulls is a sign to come in )
Coming in, the handle is grasped to lift
the weight over the beam, and the harness unclipped as soon as
on the beam.
Different helms have slightly different
techniques, so the aim is to have a settled confident personal routine.
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Paul Ellis (above)
demonstrates the advantages of trapezing: not only the added
power, but also a stable platform, with a good view ahead, and
an easy check on the sail indicators.
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Above; A light-weight helm, Gareth Ede,
hunts down a less light helm, his father Stuart.
If the strength
of wind stays at this level, and the beat is long enough, Stuart is
doomed, as Gareth has more power with a lighter weight.
Both use a fixed long carbon-fibre
tiller extension
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One
difference between helms is in cleating the
mainsheet going out and coming in. Some never cleat (for overall
safety) and hold the sheet tension all the time, some use a ratchet
block, and some cleat for trapeze manoevres (to have one less thing to think about, but needing to
uncleat once on deck)
Tacking from the trapeze: coming
in as the tack begins .
This technique gives a big advantage, as the boat speed
swings the bow through the tack quickly (in conditions where
seas are likely to be already lumpy and difficult.) As well, the
weight on the wire as the handle is pulled to come in lifts the bow, and drags the bows around.
It is much easier than it sounds!
Paul jams the
mainsheet, swings in while starting to push the tiller over, and once kneeling on the
tramp chops out the trapeze hook, uncleats
the main and completes the tack.
Not cleating the main means one less
thing to do, and less risk (see below) but if the main is
slackened too soon, the leech
slackens and will not push the boat quickly up into the wind.
The basic technique is to begin and commit to the tack while on
the wire, and get in and off the wire quickly as it comes head
to wind. The kneeling position in the middle of the boat allows
safe quick movement.
Alex Montgomery comments that moving off the wire, sheeting in
and crossing the deck means a lot of change for the boat, so
that it is
important to be smooth, and confident and quick.
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(VIDEO
of Alex tacking from the wire
here: and
here see how fast the
boat swings through the tack---with a quick move back onto the
wire, Alex is flying on the opposite tack.)
Other helms
prefer to come in off the wire and get the boat going again
before selecting the time to tack. All may elect this
if the sea is confused or particularly large.
As when tacking
at any time,
tacking from
the trapeze is done when ready and with reasonable boat speed
(and if slowed by a breaking wave, waiting until the boat has
accelerated again, or bearing away a bit to gain momentum.)
A rushed tack often ends up in the
rudders stalling - having to steer backwards, rudders reversed, to complete the
tack.
The risks of beginning the tack from the wire appear
greater than they actually are---as at any time, if you can get
to the middle of the deck, sheet released, the boat is
stable while the crisis sorts itself out.
Trapezing in general, although looking more dramatic, carries little
risk. Unlike a dinghy, a sudden drop in the wind will hardly
ever produce a
capsize to windward, as the leeward hull's weight balances the
helm's weight (although it is briefly alarming, and the rig flops over
towards the windward side.)
Similarly, falling off is rare (see below) from being hit by a
wave, or thrown forward by a sudden deceleration (e.g. hitting a
wave; see Minnis Bay TT report)
If this does happen, the boat seems to sit on the same heading
(as the helmsman, initially hanging from the wire beside the
boat, becomes a sea anchor to windward) rather than come
head to wind.
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Above: Alex Montgomery creaming along
on the wire at Bewl, legs bent to bring weight a
little inboard.
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Gear for trapezing Some
stick-on grip along the outer edge of the hull beam (only along
the 45 degree angle bit of the beam, not the top or side) gives
confidence you won't slip.
Alex uses an aluminium adjustable tiller extension, with a mark to show
where to adjust it to (not too long or short.) as this helps to
give a consistent feel. He shortens the tiller extension for running downwind
and extends it just before rounding the leeward mark.
Most boats are fitted with a an adjustable trapeze set-up
(raising or lowering the ring by about 30 cm) but almost all
helms leave the wire where it is while racing.
(Alex adjusted them on the long Round
Sheppey race, going for shorter wires in the larger seas and
lengthening them when he got to the
flatter sheltered areas in the Swale.)
Even with the wires set to drop
the helm's weight over the edge before the wire tightens, the trapezing position when out on the wire
is well above horizontal (see pictures)
It is
said that the trapezing position
should be flat to give most effect, but the differences must be
a tiny percent only. (See photo and comment below.)
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Alex comments that rigging or de-rigging, he attaches/detaches
the trapeze wires separately, to minimise tangles. He puts the trapeze wires on
only if it's windy, as sailing without the harness also feels good.
This article may read as an advertisement for trapezing
Catapult (which it is!) but individual helms will still find
what suits them best, and build on that.
(Below: Alastair shows a superb low trapezing position upwind at Bass.
The reason for this near-horizontal stance is that his plastic
trapeze toggle (see below) has fractured and he has been
abruptly dropped ten inches. This remains manageable but he is
convinced that the height should be set to make getting in and out
easiest, not to get a tiny leverage advantage---the gain from
being horizontal (vs. say at 20', higher than usual) is no more
than 3% on Catapult)
Alex Montgomery argues that in strong winds
there is a fine line between sailing the boat lightly off the
trapeze (avoiding driving the leeward hull deep into the water
and increasing drag) and putting on more power from the wire. and
that he has been able to sail fast without the trapeze in
strong winds.
He says that being inboard and hiking gives you more
control as it's easier to move your weight around in a bigger
sea, responding to gusts and concentrating on sailing the boat.
Sitting on the wire can mean some loss of feel for how well the
boat's moving through the water.
So, it's not clear cut, but
trapezing, compared to hiking, is
definitely easier on the stomach muscles and a good option to
have at your disposal, if only to make the beats physically
easier!
Below: an example of a trapeze set-up, on Alastair's
boat.
(The return shockcord runs through eyelets and small blocks all attached
to the trampoline, not the boat frame, so there is no setting up
apart from hooking on the shock-cord, as below, saving rigging
time.)
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Alastair's trapeze rig (left) is set up for simplicity and
reliability. (The height cannot be adjusted in action)
The return
shockcord is led to the end of the cord
supporting the ring, so that when hooked-on sitting on the deck,
the cord is always kept under some tension, so the ring is pulled up into the
hook, avoiding coming free.
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Going out on the trapeze (above left) the cord comes up against
a stopper, which sets the height.
A knot (above right) sets the stopper position. Running through
the plastic thingummy, it is always easily released after being
under the load of the helm's weight. (The plastic has been now
replaced by an aluminium version, see photo and comment above.)
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